The term “noxious weeds” might conjure images in your head of abandoned fields of spiny thistles along the highway, or the too-often-ignored signage at the boot brush station at your local trailheads, or some far-away problem that has no impact on your daily life.
Does it make you think of wildlife being forced from their natural habitats, possibly starving to death? It should, because that is the grim reality of how invasive plant species are affecting the wildlife that makes our lands so unique. Our landscapes are changing; ecological balances are being disrupted. Land once ripe with plant biodiversity, providing forage for wildlife of all kinds, is being taken over by monocultures of unpalatable, and sometimes poisonous, invasive plants.
The consequence isn’t just a different looking assortment of plants in our meadows, forests, and rangelands; it is a potential food chain collapse.
It is estimated that more than 4,600 acres of federally owned land in the U.S. is being infested by noxious weeds every day. Across the entirety of the U.S. there are 100 million acres infested with noxious weeds, and this is growing by at least 8 percent each year.
This takes away habitat and food from animals at all levels of the food chain at a rate they cannot adapt to. Bison use on land invaded by leafy spurge in Colorado was reduced by 78 percent and deer use was reduced 83 percent. Elk habitat in Montana has been reduced on spotted knapweed-dominated range land by as much as 98 percent, resulting in the loss of up to 220 elk per year. Population declines in several native grassland bird species have been documented in the Great Plains Region at sites with moderate to high densities of leafy spurge.
The good news is that, in many cases, when the infestation was managed and native plant populations rebounded, so did the wildlife.
Land animals aren’t the only ones being displaced.
Soil from the erosion of lands infested with poor soil-stabilizing invasive plants eventually ends up in our rivers and lakes, smothering fish eggs and blocking sunlight to critical aquatic plant food sources. The increased turbidity, or murkiness, can create inhospitable conditions for those species who need clear waters to thrive.
Agricultural products (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.), can run off into water sources with soil erosion as well, creating hazardous conditions for aquatic life or unintended plant damage downstream.
This is not to mention aquatic invasive species themselves, like Eurasian watermilfoil, or riparian invaders, which reduce biodiversity and food sources along bodies of water, such as purple loosestrife and tamarisk. The latter can suck up to 50,000 gallons of water per plant per year and alter the salt levels of the soil and water table.
Wildfires and noxious weeds also have an increasingly devastating relationship. Invasive grasses like cheatgrass provide rocket fuel to wildfires. While the native plant communities are suppressed from the fire, invasive weeds have the perfect opportunity to take hold. They are often the first, and sometimes only, plants to re-emerge after wildfires, as they have the advantage of having no natural predators or diseases to contend with in the area. They can resprout, flower and set seed before native plant communities start to even show signs of life again. This can create a negative feedback loop of wildfires and infestation, leading to more and more habitat loss for wildlife and destruction of native ecosystems.
It isn’t all doom and gloom, however. There is growing awareness of noxious weeds and their devastating impacts on the environment.
What can the average person do to help? Start with your own backyard. Being stewards of our own land is the most accessible place one can start to make a difference.
Also, look out for opportunities for volunteer weed pulls organized by public land management entities. Follow basic recreation principles like “Play, Clean, Go” or “Leave No Trace” to help stop the spread. Adopt more sustainable land management practices, try to reduce the amount of land being disturbed and reseed disturbed land with native plant seed if disturbance is unavoidable.
Noxious weeds follow us wherever we go, invading our roadsides, our tilled pastures and our development sites. Without action, it is the ecosystems and wildlife, and then ultimately us, who will pay the price.
Archuleta County Weed and Pest is your local resource for managing noxious weed populations and controlling other pests.
Email list
Do you want to be added to our email distribution list to learn about upcoming programs and the latest resources? Email cindi.galabota@colostate.edu to be added to our list.
Or, to learn more about the many programs, resources and services offered by Colorado State University (CSU) Extension, visit https://extension.colostate.edu.
Archuleta County Fair
Celebrate 74 years of “A Timeless Tradition” at the Archuleta County Fair July 31 through Aug. 3.
To learn more about the dair, to enter an item in the Open Class Exhibition and to volunteer, visit www.archuletacountyfair.com.
During the fair, make sure to visit the exhibit hall and Hughes Pavilion to view all the great work and dedication shown by our 4-H youth. The 4-H Chuckwagon Dinner, a fundraiser for the Archuleta County 4-H program, will be Aug. 2 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are limited; purchase your ticket from a 4-H member or at the fair entrance.
CPR and first aid classes
CPR and first aid certification classes are offered every other month at the CSU Extension office, generally on the third Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 10 p.m. The cost for the classes is $80 for combined CPR/first aid and $55 for CPR, first aid or recertification. Call the Extension office at (970) 264-5931 to register.
Check out the online option on our website, https://archuleta.extension.colostate.edu/.
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